Ikkos Equine Sanctuary and Animal Haven Petting Farm

Each horse/pony has their own photo album, with an album at the end for group/herd shots.

In each album, the photos are in order, the pictures at the start are the ones from before we got the horse/pony or just after he/she arrived with us, the photos at the end are the most recent shots.

Adonis came to us in quite good condition, he needed his feet tended to but he was very very nervous, i suspect he had been hit in the past, he was incredibly head shy and wouldn't let me touch his back end for months, he has come a long way since then and can now be ridden but is definately for experienced riders, he is part arabian so can be 'fizzy' on occassion but is not dangerous at all. Everything in sight has to go into his mouth, he stands holding head collars, brushes, lead ropes, reins, whetever he can find, in his mouth. He just holds them there and when i ask for them back he drops them. He absolutely adores children, they can hug him, kiss him, stroke him and he stands like a statue. Such a sweetheart. He has a very strong bond with my dad who is his adoptive owner :-) 

Baby came to us at about 3 months old with his mother, Venus. He was very nervous and quite naughty when he arrived, he didn't trust people at all. He was left with us after the owners daughter no longer wanted him and his mother, then when they had been with us for about a year the owner came and said they wanted them back, i talked with the owner and managed to get them to sell both Venus and Baby to me as i had raised Baby and he had become a very handsome, friendly little boy and i couldn't bear the thought of him being used to chase stock or collect ostrich eggs in the veld and being ruined and all myhard work getting him to trust me would have been wasted. We went away for a few days (before we had bought them) and returned to find the farmer had put a stallion, mare and young filly in with Venus and Baby and the Stallion had bitten a huge chunk out of Baby's rump and kicked him in the face. The farmer did not call the vet and there was a lot of blood and his eye had swollen up to three times the size. I called the vet immediately, we couldn't stitch up his rump as all the tissue had been removed, i just had to keep it clean and let it heal but sadly he lost sight in his eye despite daily bathing and ointment. Whenever i approch i always try approach from his good side but if i can't i always talk to him and let him know where i am and he is fine, he trusts me completely. He is very friednly and loves people!

Callisto was badly abused as a cart horse before she came to us, she had patches of hairloss, scars and swollen joints when she arrived. She came to us pregnant and extremely nervous, it was difficult to get anywhere near her. Her feet were also in very bad condition and she was underweight. After feeding her up and getting her used to people she settled in nicely and instantly became best friends with Gaia. Her scars have healed and her hair has grown back and she now has a beautiful baby girl - she is very lucky!

Calypso is blessed, she was born on our farm and will live here with her mother and the rest of the herd for the rest of her life, she will never be abused, abandoned or sold, she is one of the lucky ones! She is an angel, a beautiful, friendly little girl that will grow into a strong, confident mare!

Chara came to us with her son Kosmos. She had a growth on her face that we got removed and her feet needed trimmed, but nothing serious, although she was incredibly nervous of women which makes me suspect she has had a bad experience with a woman in the past (horses can look well looked after but it isn't all about phyical appearance, a horse could of been through a lot of mental trauma that does not show physically and this is a lot harder to correct and work with than any physical trauma). She gradually learned to trust me now the only person she trusts more then me is my husband. She is very cheeky and puts all of the other mares in their place!

Cronos came to us incredibly skinny, the cost of feeding him was just too much for the owner so we bought him and took on the challenge of making him fat again. It took a very long time to get him to maintain his weight with various feeds, supplements and plenty of lucerne. Now he has a nice fat tummy and his ribs dont show any more. He has a lovely temperament, is very laid back and friendly and was used to teach children to ride before we got him. I didn't ride him for almost a year to allow him to gain weight but once i did ride him i found him very steady and comfortable, a gorgeous boy!!! He used to be a race horse but i think them must of retired him because of his laid back attitude, he is the least competative horse i know and if he can avoid confrontation or competition he will!

Echo was extremely nervous when she arrived, she didn't like to be touched at all! she had skin lesions on her neck and had severe sweet itch, she had barely any tail or mane. We bought Echo without seeing her, the seller said that Adonis (who i went to see initially) had a brother and sister and they wanted them to go together and that we could take the mare (Echo) for free if we took him and his brother (Pegasus). I agreed and was shocked when she was unloaded from the horse box, she was very wound up and didn't want anyone near her. She gradually calmed and is now quite a relaxed horse with lots of friends. Her mane and tail have grown back nicely and the lesions on her neck were checked by a vet and it was concluded that they are nothing serious but will probably remain there forever. She is still quite an untrusting horse but can be worked with easily by me and people she knows well.

Eos came to us with Poseidon and Hercules, all the way from Kwa Zulu Natal. She has been neglected and abused in her past, one of her ears has collapsed from tick infestation - so many ticks were inside her ear that they destroyed the structure of her blood vessels and her ear now flops and will never stand straight again. She loves food and has a very close bond with Poseidon and Hercules. She loves water and loves to roll in the mud - as white/grey horses do, so she is impossible to keep clean but it makes her happy! She enjoys attention but is the most independent of the three. She loves carrots especially but likes apples now and again for a change.

Eros came to us for his retirement, he was donated by his owner in Cape Town who used his for competing and she thought he deserved a relaxing retirement where he was just allowed to be a horse again. He was in good condition when he arrived. He had been shod his whole life and before coming to us i asked that his shoes be removed so he could adjust to being barefoot. At first he was slightly lame because of the hard ground here but after only a week he was running around like he had been barefoot his whole life. His feet will take a lot of work to get them back to peak barefoot condition but it will happen! He is a very loving and intelligent horse and loves people and attention and enjoys using me as his daily scratching post!

Gaia came to us in good condition. She did have very bad sweet itch though that cleared up soon after her arrival. Gaia chose me not the other way around, I was looking at the various horses for sale and she had just been brought back from an outride when we got there, she was then put out to graze and followed me and my husband around everywhere neighing and trotting up and down the fences and as soon as i went up to her she settled down and wanted to be stroked and hugged. She was a brood mare and we bought her at only about 6 years old. She has an amazing temperament, i can put anyone on her and know she will keep them safe. She loves to follow me around and licks me all over like a dog if i stand still for long enough.

Hercules came to us with Poseidon and Eos, all the way from Kwa Zulu Natal. He has been neglected and abused in his past, both of his ears have collapsed from tick infestation - so many ticks were inside his ears that they destroyed the structure of his blood vessels and his ears now flop and will never stand straight again. He loves food and has a very close bond with Poseidon and Eos. He loves water and loves to roll in the mud - as white/grey horses do, so he is impossible to keep clean but it makes him happy! He loves attention and always comes up for cuddles. He loves carrots especially but likes apples now and again for a change.

Icarus came to us in good condition, he needed his feet trimmed, but nothing serious. He was used as a riding school horse before we bought him and has a lovely temperament - cheeky but cute! He is a calm ride and good around people. He likes to try push people over if they aren't giving him enough attention and he has to be the centre of attention all the time!

Kosmos came to us slightly underweight and quite nervous, but he quickly picked up weight and learned to trust people. He is now very friendly and loves attention, he stands to be groomed for as long as you are willing to groom him. He is very intelligent and investigates everything. He loves to play, especially with the other young horses and is already taller than his mother.

Me and my husband found Orion when he was about 3 months old. He was abandoned in a dust camp all alone and we later found out his mother had been sold and he should have still been suckling. He was covered in spikey burrs/seeds that is places had worn away his hair and were making him bleed, they filled his ears and his tail was solid with them. He was also covered in ticks and his tummy was swollen from worms. We found out who owned him and purchased him straight away. We brought him to the farm and i spent over 3 hours pulling off all the burrs and ticks to make him more comfortable. He was dewormed and all his wounds were cleaned. He stood all the time when i was taking off the burrs and ticks, he must have known i was trying to help him. He was nervous but very brave! We introduced him to some of the horses and he was petrified, he had no idea that he was ahorse or how he shoudl interact with them. We decided to introduce him to the donkeys and to this day he has a very strong bond with them and he is the only horse that they play with out of the whole herd, even our old donkeys who don't play with anyone, like to play with him. He gradually learned how to be a horse and is now a happy, fun loving member of the herd. He has a very strong bond with his half brother Baby and they often play together and run around just enjoying life! Orion is extremely friendly and a firm favourite of anyone that visits as he loves people very much.

Pegasus was extremely scared of people when he arrived. He also, like his brother Adonis, was petrified of anyone going near his back end. I presume in his past he had been whipped. He also has a scar on his nose from a head collar that has cut into his face and the first time i rode him he was really scared and jumpy which tells me when he has been ridden in the past it has not been a pleasant experience for him. He gradually learned to trust again and now loves attention. His feet were in very bad shape and he needed a lot fo work to get them back to good condition. He prefers women to men and is very picky about who he becomes friends with (both horses and people). He is a beautiful boy with an unhappy past but he is learning to forget and is just enjoying being a horse again.

Perseus was very thin when he came to us, he was 28 years old, had a massive overbite and had severe arthritis in both back legs. He came to us with these problems and we did everything we could to make him comfortable. In his time with us he was fed twice daily with fibre beet and herbal supplements and rugged up overnight to keep him warm. He had all the love, attention and treats he could want and was loved by everyone that met him. He was such an amazing charcter, he always made me laugh! He had amazing manners, he was such a gentleman and would often stand on the porch looking in the door waiting for his breakfast or supper. He bonded with our miniature pig Wilbur, they would follow each other around, eat fromt eh same spot (Wilbur would take food from right under Perseus' nose) and Perseus would even let Wilbur use his leg as a rubbing post. He had such an amazing personality and brought a smile to my face every day. I was with him until the very end and his spirit was there until his last breath! He had a full tummy and was wearing his favourite rug and im sure all he remembered was his happy time with us and that he forgot all of the neglect and abuse of his previous years! We miss him so very much but know we did everything we could to make his last time here with us the happiest he had been in his whole life!

Poseidon came to us with Hercules and Eos, all the way from Kwa Zulu Natal. He has been neglected and abused in his past, both of his ears have collapsed from tick infestation - so many ticks were inside his ears that they destroyed the structure of his blood vessels and his ears now flop and will never stand straight again. He loves food and has a very close bond with Hercules and Eos. He loves to splash in water and loves to roll in the sand. He enjoys attention and sometimes comes up for cuddles. He loves carrots especially but likes apples now and again for a change.

I met Tala in 2007 along with her paddock mate a beautiful bay gelding. Her paddock mate was emaciated and she was petrified, i couldn't get within 100meters of her without her running off. I approached the owner and asked if they would sell them and they said 'no they are used for looking for ostrich eggs in the veld' - bearing in mind Tala was petrified of people and the gelding could barely walk he was so thin. I went back on various occassions and raised my offer but still the owner said no. I then got a call a few days later saying the gelding had died of colic and Tala was down with severe laminitis and was going to be put down. I then spoke to the owner and it turns out he didn't even own Tala so i contacted the owner directly and that same day paid him for Tala and moved her to our farm. She was so scared at being caught and ridden but we did manage to catch her eventually and found her head collar cutting into her face it was so tight. We got the head collar off and tacked her up and rode her to our farm (she was about 15 minutes ride from where our farm is). She was so scared she trotted all along the road and was sweating up and pulling and dancing around. She had been ridden in the veld looking for ostrich eggs without a proper saddle and with a broken bridle so i am not surprised, she has probably never been taught to work, just trot, to get the work done faster and probably been whipped also judging by how scared of people she was. Once we got her to our farm i turned her out so she could see the others over the fence and she was jumping all 4 feet off the ground and spinning and neighing, she couldn't contain her happiness. She is still incredible nervous and i just let her be a horse. I can touch her without a halter if i am very careful but no one else can get within 10 meters of her before she runs off. I couldn't get close to her at first it has taken over a year to get to where i am now as i won't push her, she must come to me in her own time. She has come a long way and i am sure she will go much further with me. She may never be ridden again, it depends on her but either way she will be loved and cherished like all of our other animals and never be abused or neglected again and will never be sold on. as i understand her and she understands me and i will never risk losing that!

Tequila is our registered saddle horse. She was one of our first additions. I fell in love with her the first time i saw her and luckily she was up for sale. I contacted the owner and bought her straight away. I tried to find out as much as i could about her, in her past she was ridden by young children in an 'unsuitable manner' and also was owned by a man at some point in her past that used to ride her long and hard and if she didn't do what she was told she was kicked and beaten. She was quite aggressive when i first met her, biting and kicking at any given chance but still i wanted to take her in. Once with us i found she had mild back problems meaning she couldn't be jumped or raced flat out which was fine with me i just wanted her for walking trails for myself - no one else ever rides her and she is a bit spoilt. Over time she learned that nothing bad happened while around people or being ridden so relaxed quite quickly and even enjoys the odd stroke and now again if she is in a good mood, she comes up for attention and cuddles. She is a lovely horse and my bond with her is one of the strongest between me and any of my horses, she is my little princess!

Venus came to us with her son Baby. She is a very hardy pony and she doesn't really like to be around people or other horses. She is not aggressive but gets very uncomfortable when around other horses or people. She is easy to catch and work with and loves treats and now and again when i am in the paddock  by myself she will come up to greet me and have a quick stroke then walk off again. She is a character and pulls some funny faces, especially when having her photo taken.

Zeus seemed to be good phyical condition on first glance (but after closer inspection we found this wasn't true) but his mind was broken - he hated people!!! We were told he was about 10 years old, when the vet checked his age when we got him he estimated him to be about 25 years old. He had no tetth on his lower jaw, a huge patch of hair loss from what looked like an amateur branding/cart injury and a huge scar above his back left hoof. We later heard that he was a cart horse and one day he was driven for kilometers and collapsed with exhaustion, they left him by the road and walked the rest of the way, he was still down when they returned so they kicked him in the face until he stood (hence no teeth) and drove him all the way home. When he came to us he would charge at people and turn his rump and try kick them. so i decided that i should work with him to see if he could learn to trust just 1 person. I started on the other side of the fence then gradually could go into the camp with him and after 6 months i could go into the camp and walk around without being charged. He soon learned we were not going to hurt him and we also introduced him to the other horses which settled him. Now he is one of the first to come for cuddles and will stand and let you do anything to him, lie over him, pick up his feet, detangle his tail. He has changed so much and come such a long way, i am very proud of him!!!